It's New York Fashion Week! So you better get your nails did, your cat eye on fleek, and tend to those curls. But who has time for that?
For this week only, beauty on demand service The Glam App, founded by actress/blogger Cara Santana and hair and makeup expert Joey Maalouf, is giving New Yorkers access to beauty on the go with complementary nail, hair and makeup services aboard a custom mobile salon. The mobile salon will be open to the public 9/12-9/14 from 12-5 pm. The custom-fitted bus will offer the apps most requested makeup and hair looks as well as a range of bright polishes for attendees to choose from.
Get your glam on here:
Saturday, September 12, 2015: Washington Street (between Clarkson and Houston Streets, near Skylight Clarkson Square)
Sunday, September 13, 2015: Eighth Avenue between 30 and 31 Street (near Clarkson Moynihan Station)
Monday, September 14, 2015: Meatpacking District
Follow @TheGlamApp on Instagram for more deets throughout the weekend~
Is your Spring wardrobe looking a little sparse? If so (or even if it's bulging at the seams), check out the Lighthouse Guild's annual POSH Sale this week for some amazing deals on fashionable finds.
Kicking off on today, Wednesday, May 13, the POSH Sale, is a 4-day event featuring thousands of new and gently worn couture and ready-to-wear designer clothing, shoes and accessories at unbelievable prices! (We’re talking Louboutin stilettos, vintage Chanel coats, brand new dresses from M Missoni and couture Oscar de la Renta gowns for just a fraction of the cost!). I've personally scored some great deals here over the years (disclosure: my office is in the Lighthouse Guild building), and recommend this sale to all of my friends.
All items are donated by stylish New Yorkers, celebrities and top designers themselves, and all proceeds benefit Lighthouse Guild; the leading not-for-profit vision and health care organization.
The sale starts with a not-to-be-missed special preview event today (tickets are $200, which include a 4-day pass and a $50 gift card), with public hours on Thursday, May 14th through Sunday, May 17th ($30 for a 4-day pass or $10 per daily ticket). All items are available at 110 E. 60th Street on a first come, first serve basis, so it’s highly recommended that you go early.
If you are anything like me, you fill your closets to the max (it is NYC after all and every inch of real estate counts!). However, if you're also like me, you've obsessively read about Japanese organization guru Marie Kondo's method of organization. While her book is still on my NYPL waiting list, I've taken a few of her own-only-things-that-bring-you-joy approaches to heart and done a considerable amount of domestic purging lately.
But I didn't want to simply throw away perfectly good items of clothing (that may or may not still have the tags on)...I wanted to make some money! There was always eBay, but I don't have the patience for that. Then I heard about thredUP.
thredUP brands itself as a "recommerce" company. How it works is you create an account on their site, order a bag free of cost and it will show up in your mailbox in a matter of days. You then stuff it full of worn, but like new items (bonus if they still have the tags on and were never worn) from dresses to shoes and handbags to accessories. At this time they only accept women's, junior's and children's clothing, sorry gents! Here are their rules and here is a video that explains more:
You can then drop your bag (pre-labeled for FedEx shipping) at any FedEx location. thredUP will contact you and let you know which items they are going to resell and how much money you will get back from them. I earned $125 for one bag! For a small fee, thredUP will even send you back the items they don't sell; otherwise, they will give the clothes away for you.
I opted to receive my money via PayPal (and paid a nominal fee for it), or you can choose to spend your money in thredUP's marketplace--chock full of amazing finds that other people like you have sent in. I have also done this and managed to score a brand new Coach leather purse for under $70.
Want to check it out? Create an account through my link and get $10 free to spend in the thredUP marketplace. I'll get $10 too, but once you place your first order and/or submit your first bag, you will want to tell all your friends about this site.
Spring shopping on your mind? Then head to the Fort Greene General Store tomorrow for a Kooba trunk show with discounts, organic juices and a chance to win a new bag!
What: Kooba trunk show
Where: Fort Greene General Store, 218 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn
When: Saturday, April 18, 2015 from 4-8pm
Details: First 25 customers will receive a goody bag that includes select spring merchandise and a postcard that provides a discount code to use on www.kooba.com
I've raved about my favorite nonslip, workout headbands from Sparkly Soul on this website before, but I'm going to do it again. These are the most amazing headbands for all sorts of workouts--from running to boxing, spinning to yoga, and rowing to Crossfit. They come in a wide array of colors and I have never had one slip off during class. It's like they're magic or something.
Well Sparkly Soul just one-upped themselves in support of my campaign to raise money for the National MS Society. Use the code WALKMS by 4/19 and get 10% off your entire purchase from www.sparklysoul.com. Addtionally, my team will receive 10% of your entire purchase as well. So you get awesome headbands and the MS Society receives vital funds to help support research and programming for people affected by this debilitating disease.
These headbands would make perfect Mother's Day, graduation or just because gifts! I wouldn't fault you for picking up a few of your own (I've got a collection of 6!). Now all that's left to decide is what colors you are going to buy!
Remember that Made in the USA trunk show I told you about a while back. Well, it was the other night, and I went! It was honestly one of the better shopping events I've been to in a long time. To start, there's nothing better than a holiday event when it's [pretty] snowing outside and you get to gawk at a beautifully decorated tree in the lobby of a classy NYC hotel.
The entrance of The Carlton from the front door
Their tree
The event featured shops and designers hawking beautifully made goods, all crafted in the good ole' US of A. I fell in love with all of the bags at catrinka (ALL OF THE BAGS), which works with women all over the world to design totes, clutches, and satchels with textiles native to their region. What a great mission. I also checked out papabubble who were sampling their holiday assortments of custom candy. Check out the watermelon, salt, chili if you get the chance!
catrinka's table (sorry for the blurry photo!)
But by far my favorite table was the Pennsylvania-based shop basin and main, who had a long table of knit and crochet wear (socks, hats, sweaters, hand warmers, etc), handmade ornaments, vintage candle holders, and jewelry. To say that I was obsessed with everything at this table is an understatement. If I hadn't already done most of my holiday shopping, I could have bought items for almost everyone on my list there. But that didn't stop me from buying a super cute crocheted hat by mimi's hooks ($25) for myself :)
basin and main had the table with the lights
My new hat!
While we were shopping, singer Lisa Puccio Kobin and keyboardist Clare Cooper serenaded us with holiday music.
This even was a brand marketers dream. There were endless sponsors, which I of course loved because...freebies! The holiday flavored tic tacs were a big hit, as was the Elderflower Lemonade by Belvoir. I was also a big fan of the peppermint SO Delicious bar.
Before I left, I had to go upstairs and check out the Caravan Stylist Studio as I have an appointment to go back next week for "glam services" including hair, make-up and nail art. Will keep you posted!
While there I also got an amazing gift bag filled with samples from Simple Skincare, Tic Tacs, Cottonelle, Bullet, Zoya, bigsexyhair, and nextissue.
All of the shops I mentioned have online stores so be sure to check them out if you are still on the look out for gifts. Happy shopping!
One of my favorite things to do is work out, but one of my least favorite things to do is wipe stray hairs out of my sweaty face in downward dog or in 3rd position over the flywheel. To solve this problem, NYC-based Sparkly Soul created the one and only no-slip hairband that has ever stayed in place for me throughout an entire exhale Core Fusion class.
I bought my first several years ago at Pure Barre and have collected several of their fun and sparkly colors ever since. The hairbands come in thin ($15) or thick ($17) varieties and can be found slicking back coifs of fashion-conscious fitness fiends around the city. I can't even tell you how many compliments I get and recommendations I give every time I work out in one.
Good news! Sparkly Soul is offering 20% off all their products through Memorial Day (May 26 at 11:59 pm PST) with code MEMORIALDAY. Also, if you share this sale on social media using the hashtag #sparklysoulheadbands through 11:59 pm PST you will be entered to win 12 headbands of your choice. That's an amazing prize!! Good luck and happy sweating.
Driving is not a pastime I ever really miss (except when I want to jam out on the radio where no one can hear me, but I digress). I can hardly tell a Mazda from a Ford. However, my interest is piqued when I hear the words Maserati and party in the same sentence.
On Saturday night I was invited out to the West Side dealership (we were practically in the river, but so it goes in a city where everyone walks or takes the subway) for a party celebrating the launch of Gnossem, an Asian fashion collaborative previewing in NYC for the first time. Designers they promote include Zenchi and Zardoze each from Singapore, TOTON from Indonesia, and a host of other independent labels.
The event was jam packed with interesting characters. Some were oogling the cars, others were taking advantage of the open bar, and all enjoyed the fashion show hosted by Gnossem’s founder Lisa Crosswite.
DJ Timo Weiland spun some great tunes and the folds from Illy, Zico and Birthday Cake Wines/Ice Cream Cellars were on hand giving out samples.
Oh and remember those guests I mentioned oogling the cars? Oh right, I was one of them :)
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